Chair



July 2 931.

CHAI

Filed Aug, 1928 Patented July 21, 1931 umra* star PATENT FFLCE? MARTIN FOX, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE SENG COMPANY, or CHICAGO,

ILLINOIS, A- CORPORATION/F ILLINOIS i CHAIR Application filed. August 8, 1928; Serial No. 297,861.

This invention relates in general to an adjustable chair of the movable seat type and has more particular reference to the mechanism which supports the seat and permits it to-move from one position to another.

One of the principal objects of the invention is in the provision of means for holding the seat at different inclined positions and for permitting the adjustment of the seat from the highest to the lowest positions and without engagement in any of the intermediate positions.

A further object is in the provision of a sliding plate device for supporting a chair seat at the rear portion of the frame with a simple and efficient mechanism which is partially concealed by the frame, is neat in ap pearance; occupies a minimum space and is effective and eflicient in operation.

The accompanying drawings illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention. In

the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of a chair illustrating difierent positions of the seat in broken outline and with parts broken away to show the adjusting means; Fig. 2 is a partial rear view showing oneof the adjustingiiand supporting devices; Fig.3il1'ustrates the position of'the supporting means when the seat is in itshighest position; Fig.

4 illustrates the position of the parts in the upper transfer position; and Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 5 -5 of Fig. 4, illustrating a holding spring for the sliding plate.

In an easy chairof the reclining seat type,

it is'desirable to providea construction for holding the seat in different angular positions, but in most mechanisms of this kind it is diflicultto provide a simple device which will permit the seat both to be raised from one position to another and then to be lowered from the uppermost position to any of the lower positions without reengaging' in the intermediate supporting positions. The present invention overcomes this objection by providing a sliding plate in connection with the supporting plate which operates as a bridging member for covering the notches in the supportingplate so that a supportln g projection fixed in'the frame will move relative 59 lypast-the notches in 'one direction of movement and the sliding plate will be actuated at the end of this movement to permit the reengagementof the frame projection with the engagement notches in the opposite direction of movement of the seat. I

Referring more particularly to the drawings, a chair comprising a frame designated generally as 7 is shown with a combined seat 8 and back 9 which are angularlyfirred together in the present exemplification and will be referred to generally as the chair seat. The chair seat is mounted at the front end to swing in the frame 8 upon hinges 10 so that the rear may be adjusted at different elevations in the frame to' satisfy the occupants. It is obvious that'the seat 8 might be" stationary and the back alone hinged at its lower end for different angular position's'of the back with respect to the seat.

Attached to the insides of the side frames of the back 9 area pair of supporting plates 11, each of which is pivoted at its upperend in an attachment plate 12secured to the'back" 9 by fastening means 13; {l -his plate'll stands uprightly and has a longitudinal slot 14: with engagement notches 15 at one side of the slot;

' Slidably connected to the plate 11 is a bridging plate 16 which has'slotsi17 for engaging rivets or projections 18 attached to: the plate" 11, the engagement of therivets'in the slots limitingnn'd directing therelative movement of the bridging plate. The bridging plate is also formed with a longitudinal slot 19 corresponding to the'slot 14 of the supporting plate'but slightly less inlength; and at the corresponding sidearenotchesQO which register with the notches 15. of the'supporting plate in'one' position. as shown in Fig. 3, but are out of register withithe'notches 15, and the side of the slot :19 between the notches 2O brid es the notches 15inthe'other tion, and prevents any rattling or unauthorized relative movement of the bridging and supporting plates.

Attached to a cross piece 22 at the back 9 of the chair frame is a bracket 23 carrying a projection 24 adapted to engage in the slots 14 and 19 of the supporting and bridging plates. It is also adapted to engage in notches 15 of the supporting plate when the notches of the bridging plate register therewith, as shown in Fig. 3, or to rest in the top of the slot 14 for supporting the seat in its lowermost position, as indicated by the broken outline in Fig. 1. A coil spring 26 is attached at one end to the supporting plate 11 and at the other end to the back 9 and tends to draw the supporting plate in a direction to engage the projection 2% with the supporting notches 15 of the plate 11.

\Vhen the bridging plate notches 20 register with those (11 of the plate 11 as shown in Fig. 3, it is apparent that he seat may be raised from the lowermost position in which the projection 24- rests at the top of the slot 14- to a successive engagement with the supporting notches 15. Because of the spring 26 which draws the supporting plate 11 into such engagement, it is also apparent that the seat cannot be adjusted from a higher position to a lower one without first disengaging the projection 24 from a notch 15, then hold ing the supporting plate 11 outwardly against the spring 26, and then moving the seat as desired.

The bridging plate 16 has its notches 2O registering with the notches 15 of the supporting plate when the chair seat is supported at the top of the slot 14, as shown in Fig. 3, and the upward movement of the chair brings the projection 24rinto successive engagement with the notches 15 but does not affect the position of the bridging plate. However the lower end of the notch 19 of the bridging plate is at a distance from the lower end of the notch 14., as shown in Fig. 3, and the movement of the chair seat upwardly from the lowest engaging notch 15 first engages the bridging plate at the end of its slot 19 with the projection 24 and moves it slidably with respect to the supporting plate 11 until the notches 15 and 20 of the two plates are out of register and in the positions shown in Fig. 4. The upward movement of the chair seat in the slots 19 and 14 does not now engage the projection 24 in any of the notches, as the bridging plate prevents the projection from entering the notches 15 and the chair seat may be moved to the lowermost position, near the end of which the upper end of the slot 19 of the bridging plate is first engaged in the position shown in Fig. 4, and the bridging plate is moved to the top of the slot 14 until the notches 15 and 20 are again registered, as shown in Fig. 3.

With this construction the chair seat may be adjusted from the lowest to the highest positions in succession and directly from the highest to the lowest position without engagement of the intermediate positions and without manual adjustment of the supporting means. The chair seat or back thereof is grasped at the upper end and is raised from the lowermost position to any one of the intermediate positions; and if the chair seat is too high, it is first raised as high as it will go and slightly above the uppermost supported position, as indicated by the broken outline 27 in Fig. 1, from which it is lowered without engagement to the lowermost position and may then be raised to and engaged in any of the desired intermediate positions.

I claim:

1. An adjustable chair having a combined seat and back hinged at the front of the seat to a chair frame and the back movable up and down into various angular positions, and an adjusting support therefor comprising a slotted plate having notches at one side of the slot pivoted at one end to the back, means forming a projection extending from the back of the chair frame for relative movement in the slot and for engagement in the notches at one side thereof, a spring connected to the plate and to the chair back tending to press the free end of the plate toward the chair seat and to engage the notches of the plate with the projection, and means in connection with the plate having extremities engageable with and moved by the projection when it reaches the ends of the slot and said means operated thereby to cover the notches of the plate to permit the free sliding movement of the projection from the bottom to the top of the slot.

2. An adjustable chair having a combined seat and back secured together at a fixed angle, and adjustable in different angular positions in the chair frame, means for pivoting the seat at the front of the frame, and adjustable supporting means for the seat and back at the rear of the frame, said means comprising a slotted plate pivoted at its upper end to the back and with notches at one side of the slot thereof, means tending to draw the free end of the plate in the direction of the chair back, a bridging plate slidably connected to the supporting plate having a slot less in length than the slot of the supporting plate, and notches therein correspending with the notches of the plate, and means forming a projection extending from the chair frame into the slots of the plates and engageable with the ends of the slot of the bridging plate at the upper and lower limits of movement of the projection in the slot of the supporting plate to vary the position of the bridging plate to cover and uncover the notches of the supporting plate.

3. An adjustable chair having a movable seat hinged at the front of the frame, and adjusting means for supporting the back of the seat at diiierent elevations in the frame, said means comprising a pair of devices at the sides of the seat and frame each comprising a slotted plate with notches at one side of the slot pivoted at its upper end to the back, a projection from the back of the frame relatively movable in the slot and engageable in the notches of the plate, resilient means tending to hold the free end of the plate toward the chair seat and the notches of the plate in engagement with the projection, and a bridging member yieldingly supported by the plate and havin a limited sliding movement with respect thereto, the bridging plate having ends engaged by the said projection when it is adjacent the ends of theslotted plate for moving the bridging plate and thereby covering and uncoveringthe notches of the plate to control the raising and lowering movement of the seat.

4. An adjustable supporting device for a chair seat or the like, comprising a slotted plate having notches at one side of the slot,

and means for pivoting one end of the plate to a support, means forming a supportin projection relatively slidable in the slot 0' the plate and engageable with the notches of the plate, resilient means to draw the free end of the plate in a direction to hold the notches of the plate in engagement With the projection, and a bridging member having a limited, yielding slidable connection with the plate and having extremities engageable by the projection when it is near the ends of the slot of the plate for moving the member to cover and uncover the notches to control the engagement of the projection with the notches.

MARTIN FOX. 

